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Natasha Tarpley

When Natasha Tarpley was a kid growing up in Chicago, Ill., she wanted to have magic powers!  She was also a bookworm who loved the fact that books could take her on “so many amazing adventures.”  Now she writes books for a new generation of kids who also may not have magic powers, but can definitely journey to the Bippity Bop Barbershop or tag-along during Joe-Joe’s First Flight. 

These are a few of Natasha's favorite things:

Favorite book as a child

I loved The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.  I really liked how there weren’t a lot of words in the story so there was room to use your own imagination to make up your own story.

Favorite letter or word

I love the letters at the end of the alphabet, v, w, x, y, and z.  They just seem like they need a little more love than the rest of the alphabet, because they don’t get used as much as the rest of the letters.

Favorite number

The number 7.  Someone once told me that it was a lucky number and I believed them.

Favorite color

I like indigo (a deep, bluish-purple color) because it reminds me of the night sky—mysterious and full of possibility.

Favorite shape

Circles.  They remind me of people standing together, holding hands.  Circles also symbolize the circle of life, which reminds me that there are always new beginnings, a chance to start all over again.

Favorite body part

I like feet because they are so important in moving us through our lives.

Favorite person (dead or alive)

My Mom.  She’s my best friend.

Favorite food

I eat everything!!!!

Favorite place

Sitka, Alaska.  It’s a little town in Southeast Alaska that’s beautiful and peaceful.  I met a charming whale there.  I would watch him spout in the water outside my window.

Favorite animal (existing or extinct)

Cats!  I have two of them; they’re names are Manhattan and Summer.  I love how cats are very independent but also very loyal and friendly in their own way.

Favorite hobby/fun thing to do

I love to listen to jazz music and to cook.  Doing these things makes me happy.

Favorite time of day

I have two.  I love it when the sun is setting because the light is so soft and beautiful then.  The sky is turning pink and everything is settling down for the night. 

I also love the “wee small hours of the morning,” as the song goes, like at 2 or 3 a.m.  Everything is so quiet, you feel like you are the only one awake in the world.

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